Improved arrangement of means for freeing steam-boilers from sediments



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

l-IIRAM STRAIT, OF COVINGTON, KENTUCKY.

'IMPROVED ARRANGEMENT or MEANS yFOR FREEING STEAM-BolL-ERS FROM SEDIMENTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 12,654, dated April 3, 1855.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it' known that l, HIRAM STRAIT, of Covington, Kenton county, Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Improvement for Blowing Off the Sediment, Mud, Impurities, or Incrustations of Steam-boilers; and I declare that the following is a full description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

Similar letters stand for similar parts.

My improvemement consists in the addition of a valved partition to the lower part of a boiler for the temporary separation of the Water and sediment chambers when cleaning, one or more common or several separate blowoff pipes to connect the steam and water with the sediment chamber, either on the in or out side, and a blow-off valve or cock for expelling its contents.

lnthe drawings, Astands for the steamchamber; B, for the water-chamber; C, the sediment-chamber; D, the partition-plate; E, the valve-plate; F, the' blow-off pipe or iiue for steam; G, the blow-off pipe for water; H, the blow-off cock or valve of the sedimentchamber; l, the operating-rodof the valveplate or a series ofv valves; J, stop-cocks attached to the blow-off pipes 5 K, a bracket or several of them to hold the valve-plate down on the partition-plate; L, a perforated space for the passage of the sediments, &c.,into the sedimentfchamber; M, a blank space, and N a valve.

Figure l shows one head of a horizontal steam-boiler, and Fig. 2 the other, on the inside,'with my improvement attached; Fig. 3, its vertical section lengthwise with the relative position of its parts; Fig. 4, its partitionplate, with the blank and perforated` spaces;

p Fig. 5, another partition -plate with all its spaces valved and perforated; Figs. 6, 7, and S, dilferent kinds of valve-plates for sliding on the partition-plate, so as to open or close its apertures. Fig. 9 shows outside blow-off pipes with stop-cocks attached, and Fig. l0 straight ones for passing through or between the flues of a boiler. Fig. l1 shows a vertical section of a vertical steam-boiler with the position of its parts; Fig. l2, its partitionplate, and Fig. 13 its valve-plate, the smaller circle being for a sliding one and the larger for a rotating one, but not laid off into spaces, blanks, or perforations.

The valved partition consists of the partition-plate D, the valve-plate or aseries of valves, E, and the projecting and operating rod I, and its use when open is to pass the sediments freely, and when shut to form a shallow horizontal and temporary blow-off chamber in the lower part of a boiler or under it (as dotted in Figs. l, 2, and 3) for their The valve-plates or valves may expulsion. have a sliding, rotating, or elevating mot-ion to open and shut, and must be made to `correspond with the partition-plate. The partition-plate is to be riveted all round to the boiler and to be made of Athe same kind of plate; but the valve-plate or valves may be much lighter. Brackets may be used yall round at intervals to keep the valve and partition plates together, and some steam and water proof fabric interposed to prevent leakage. The valve-plate is one space shorter to Aallow its motion, and will be buoyed (as well as a series of valves) at all times by the water, so as to work easy, except when cleaning, and they may be moved by hand, a lever, or the engine. The size and number of the spaces and the form, size, and number of the perforations in the Vvalved partition is optional.

The operating-rod l may be continuous and attachedhall along to the valve-plate or valves, or it may be sectional and attached to slotted brackets fastened to them, so as to project out anywhere most convenient, either in the steam or water chamber. When valves are used in place of valve-plates, all the spaces may be perforated and opened and closed together, as in Fig. 5. In horizontal boilers the valved partition should be slightly concaved, and in vertical ones dished. In valve-plates the perforated spaces maybe cut out, as in Fig. 7, or left in, as in Fig. 6,0r the blanks,which act as valves, may be in separate pieces and connected together by the rod I and several metallic strips, as in Fig. 8. In Figs. l, 2, and 3 the lowest dott-ed lines show a sediment-chamber riveted to the under side of a boiler, in which case its under side is the partition-plate, and the valve-plate or valves rest immediately on it.

The sediment-chamber is intended to be the reservoir of all the sediments, and the blowoft pipes to enter it at one end or side, so as to cross their jets of steam and water, while the blow-oft cock or valve is to be at the opposite end or side, or nearly so, for their expulsion. An additional rod, I, with a series of sharp and narrow scrapers, may be placed iu the sediment-chamber to detach the scales, if needed. To carry the sediments out of the way or overboard, the blow-ott cock or valve should be made so as to attach and detach an additional pipe or hose when wanted.

The blow-off pipes F and G are to connect the steam and water chambers with the sediment-chamber exclusively, to blow off its contents when cleaning, and there may be one or more common or several separate ones to form the connection. They may be placed either on the outside of a boiler and have stop-cocks, so that the engineer can regulate their action, or on the inside and regulate themselves. They may be placed at either end or on either side if the blow-ott cock or Valve is opposite, or nearly so, Where they enter the sediment-chamber. The steam-pipe F is to extend a short distance above the steam and water line, while the water-pipe G is to dip or fall a short distance below it. The steam may exhaust entirely through its pipe, if allowed; but the water can exhaust no lower down than the mouth of its own pipe, which may be more or less. Both pipes should enlarge downward and terminate at both ends in long and elliptical mouths. They may pass round or between the iiues or extend through and have stop-cocks for cleaning them out by either steam or water, or both united. Their position and action is naturally Vertical in boilers of all kinds, and that of the sedimentfchambers horizontal. The blow-ott cock or valve is intended to be larger and discharge several times faster than both or all of the blow-pipes together, so that l To make a steam-boiler thus built to clean' itself thoroughly, the iirst thing is to push or pull the operating-rod I freely to and fro a few times, so as to pass the loose sediments that may be on the valve-plate or valves below, when the partition may be closed and the blow-oit cock or Valve opened and the sediment-chamber allowed to exhaust itselt and the steam and water to sweep freely and forcibly through it until entirely cleaned, when its cock or valve may be closed and its partition opened as soon as it is refilled with wated from the water-chamber. The Valved partition is always to remain open only during the operation of cleaning. Neither the steam nor water is exhausted or seriously lessened, and there is no suspension either of duty or business during the cleaning operation.

What I claim as an inventor, and wish to secure byLetters Patent of the United States in the construction of a steam-boiler of any kind, is-

The arrangement and combination of the valved partition, blow-off pipes, and cock or valve, so as to expel its sediments-mud, scales, impurities, or incrustations-at any time and in a few minutes by the joint or separate force and pressure of its own steam and water without exhausting either or suspending any of its ordinary duties or business, and thus render a steam-boiler strictly and thoroughly self-cleaning, substantially as herein specified.

H IRAM STRAI'I.

Vitn esses:

G. M. HAMPTON, BENJ. EGELsToN. 

